Also known as the War Between the States, the American Civil War reigned from 1861 to 1865. The reason a nation goes to war
is often complicated and the cause isn’t always clear. Usually various factors contribute. While many think that the issue of
slavery is what caused the Civil War, that is not necessarily true. At the time, slavery was prevalent only among those who were well off. The average American, whether Northerner or Southerner, did not own slaves. However, the South’s
economic industry of agriculture was dependent on the work of slaves. The North was industrialized and had no need of slaves. Therefore the economic issue of the day being slavery, the South felt as if the North was against them. Abolishing slavery would have collapsed their economy where it would not have affected the North. Today we see slavery as a moral issue, but in the South then, it was seen more as an economic issue. Many Americans wanted to avoid civil war and understood that slavery itself would probably die out slowly, but the most influential leaders of the day had created a frenzy. The people had become polarized on the issue and could not find a common ground. The Northern States were known as the Union, the Southern States as the Confederacy. Hostility had been raging between the two regions for years before it escalated into war. As Abraham Lincoln was elected as president, South Carolina chose to secede. That state was followed by several others, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Later several other states would secede and thus would begin the American Civil War. Jefferson Davis would be elected as the Confederate president. The wore lasted four years with many casualties on both sides. It may be that the Union won the war simply because of better organization. Today, the United States of America stands strong and united. However, it took several years to heal the rift caused by the war.